What is EMDR? – Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a well-researched and documented treatment for trauma, abuse, phobias, depression, anxiety, grief and so forth. It is based on the principle that chronic negative reactions exist because the brain has not properly analyzed and stored the experience. That means this old “information” – an unhappy past experience – exists in a state that can continue to be triggered by current “information” – your present thoughts, things you see, hear, taste, smell or touch. EMDR uses focus of thought, emotion and body sensation plus bilateral stimulation of the brain (eye movements or therapeutic “tappers”) to reprocess the information and store it in the right place in the brain with other past experiences – where it belongs!